If you are doing the javascript front-end for your web app, then you are probably using the jQuery library, and know it well. But for those of us who are just starting out, this book is a very readable introduction. 300 pages.

Programmers will want to read this book. It was the first and is still the best Javascript reference book. This 6th edition is updated to cover HTML5. The 4th edition is also useful, and has a shorter queue of holds. 1000 pages.

When you are learning to program in Javascript, there are many opportunities and many pitfalls. This book will get you past the beginner level fast, and well into the intermediate level. It recommends the Aptana debugger and discusses jQuery at length. 400 pages.

This book seems to cover all the details of JavaScript, and is quite readable. The cover claims that it is for the beginner and the seasoned veteran, but the beginner would be better served by one of the other JavaScript books. The author recommends the use of libraries such as jQuery or Prototype, but they are brittle so you need to understand JavaScript. The book shows how to use plug-ins such as Flash and Silverlight. A heavy 950 pages.

Microsoft has been making great strides in recent years, and many of us need to know how to use its tools. This book is a good way to keep up to date. Examples in ASP, C# and HTML. O’Reilly unfortunately gave us 1100 pages here; usually they condense a topic into fewer pages.